FTC pitches 'do not track' system for web surfers

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is pushing the idea of a 'do not track' privacy mechanism for internet users.

The system would allow people to opt out of tracking cookies that monitor browsing activity and help advertising networks deliver targeted content.

The FTC did not reveal details of the system, but David Vladek, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, told Congress that it is likely to involve "placing a setting similar to a persistent cookie on a consumer's browser, and conveying that setting to sites that the browser visits to signal whether or not the consumer wants to be tracked or receive targeted advertisements".

The plan has received support from several prominent privacy groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

"The FTC's new privacy report is a promising development in the evolution of online consumer privacy," the EFF said in a blog post.

"The EFF looks forward to working with other organisations to address the issues raised by this report."

Mike Shaver, vice president of engineering at Mozilla, told V3.co.uk that the company looks forward to developing a 'do not track' mechanism, but that technical details will need to be filled out.

"Without a concrete description of how this would operate, it's difficult to speculate about the specifics around Firefox implementation," he said.

"Our goal is a system which gives individuals meaningful control over their private information, maintains the vibrant ecosystem of the web and is technically robust."